A Cooper's Tale
by RaisingStandards
Summary: The legendary thief, Sly Cooper, finally takes her stand against the murderers of her family and sets out with her two brothers, Bentley Wiseturtle and Murray Hippo, to retrieve the missing pages of the Thievious Raccoonus. Similar to the original videogame, although vastly different in many ways. I hope you enjoy this alternate twist on the beloved Cooper franchise.
1. Introduction

A Cooper's Tale:

The Introduction

"He's been here, alright..." the commander looked around the neat office of his top officer and trusted friend, Carmelita Fox, shaking his head. "I can't believe he would stoop so low as to actually enter her OFFICE."

The young commander turned towards the opened vault, which once had important files stashed away in it; files containing information on the five worst criminals in the world. Now the vault was nearly empty. The only object that remained really had no business being there.

A blue raccoon cap, the insignia of the infamous Sly Cooper himself.

The sound of a tire screech sounded in the silence of night in the heart of Paris, France. As the getaway van veered around the corner, Carmelita shouted behind it. "Vous maudire! You can't run forever, raccoon!"

Sly sat back in his seat and laughed. "What a thrill!" he exclaimed.

"Nearly gave me a heart attack…!" Bently, his intelligent and neurotic friend sighed. "She gets faster and stronger every time we encounter her, Sly…"

"Yah!" Murray, Sly's strong and loyal (yet clumsy) pal agreed as he navigated their van through the alleyways. "She nearly caught up with the van this time!"

Sly smiled and sat up again, holding the set of precious police files in his hands. "All that matters right now is that we finally got our hands on these documents. Now we have our lead at last, after all of these years." He stood carefully. "I'm heading into the back to study them."

"Go ahead. We're almost out of town."

Sly nodded and retired to the back portion of the large van, closing the curtain behind him. Once concealed, he removed his cap and removed the pin that held up his hair, revealing it's length to the open air. Then he removed his mask to uncover bright beautiful eyes.

"Now that I'm growing up…" he wondered to himself, allowing his tone to raise to its natural feminine tone, "How much longer can I keep this disguise up…" SHE sighed and looked at her reflection in the mirror. "Well, I'd better get ready for phase two."

"It's time for a 'bonne soiree'…"


	2. Chapter 1

A Cooper's Tale Chapter 1:

La Bonne Soiree

Phase two, the team decided, was to be the most difficult of all of their phases so far. The time had come to invade into the most expensive party in all of Paris to get most information on a certain criminal described in the documents they stole in the previous chapter.

Once the palace was in sight, Bently went to the back and knocked on the wall by the curtain. "Sly? You done in there? We're here now."

Sly looked up from her box of assorted jewelry (stolen jewelry, of course…). "Yes. Nearly done. I want this to look SUPER authentic."

She looked back to the mirror and put the finishing touches on the styled bun in her black hair. She wore a long and slim white silk dress and gloves that matched. She put on a pearl necklace to complete the outfit and sighed, already missing the blur boyish thieves outfit she usually wore.

Bentley finally came into the back when she gave him permission. He whistled. "That looks astonishing on you. You should wear stuff like that more often."

"And ruin my tough thief appearance, Bentley? I don't think so. I'm just doing this for the look of the party, you know, as a guest." She stood and turned once. "How does it look?"

"It looks like you're nearly late, Sly. Hurry and get in that palace already."

"They won't recognize me as Sly Cooper?"

"Not a bit. You look to girly to be Sly." He smiled.

"Well, that's good… I guess…"

Within an hour of entering the wide and bright ballroom, Sly already began itching to get out of her dress and into something more comfortable, but she stuck to it and pretended to enjoy herself. She trained herself to stand straight, walk, and talk like the proper lady she was born to be. She even kept her pinky up while sipping her wine.

She must've got the talent from her mother, she supposed.

Regal men and women of all ages constantly bombarded her with pompous small talk and questions aimed at her position and wealth. She found it very hard not to appear conspicuous, but now that she felt she could finally play the part, she started asking questions of her own.

Sly strolled over to a gossiping group of adolescent women and joined into their conversation, soon interjecting a new curious topic.

"Say, does anybody remember that prosperous young amphibian from England? The one that disappeared?"

"Are you talking about Sir Raleigh the Frog?" One of the older ones replied. "Yes, I remember hearing about him when I was little. But I'm afraid I don't know much about him. Why do you ask?"

"He still owes my family a debt he has not paid yet." Of course, Sly told only half the truth.

"He owes so much to everyone he stole from." The lady retorted, becoming quite serious. "Sir Raleigh turned from his inherited wealth to piracy while he was young. Nobody really knows where he is now though." She leaned in closer to Sly and whispered. "But I have heard some rumors…"

Sly's eyes sparked with interest. "Oh really?"

"Some people have claimed to spot his giant pirate ship somewhere near the Welsh Triangle. But the ship is mysteriously surrounded by a never-ending storm, so sailors are afraid to get closer…"

Another girl chimed in. "Others say he vanished because he aided someone else in actually killing an entire family in Haiti."

Sly's heart stung from that statement.

Sly was about to thank the girls for the conversation when she happened to glance to her right, when she saw… her.

Carmelita Fox, with her long and wavy blue hair, was clad in a bright red slit dress with high heel shoes and large gold earrings to go with them. She still wore her police officer collar around her neck, the one with the large star on it.

Ah, Carmelita, Sly's archrival. She thought she had Sly all figured out, yet she must be the one most fooled by Sly's male disguise. Sly felt proud of that, but also slightly repulsed at the thought that Carmelita might secretly have a crush on her.

Sly felt herself tense from Carmelita's presence at the party, especially when the officer walked past her, even MORE when she spoke to her.

"I don't believe I've ever seen you around these parts, miss." Carmelita said, glancing at her. "Are you new in Paris?"

"Uh—Uh… y-yes!" Sly stuttered, trying frantically to gain composure while sounding as feminine as possible. "Excuse me. This is my first time at such a 'soiree' as this. It is such an honor, after all."

"Indeed it is." She replied with a small smile. "There's nothing to worry. Just don't cause any trouble. I'm a police officer."

"Really?"

She nodded. "A good one too, so you know not to mess with me and my Paralyzing Blaster. It's quite a shocker."

Sly chuckled nervously. "It must be." She knew and feared that blaster of hers well over the many years she and the bureaucrat have encountered each other.

Another hour had gone by before Sly snuck out onto the balcony where she could be alone. She spoke into her well- hidden earpiece. "Bentley, did you get all of that information about Raleigh down?"

"Yes I did." Bentley replied from the van. "And I suspect those rumors about him are true. He must be on the nearest island close or maybe even inside of the Welsh Triangle. We should get going tonight if we're going to get there soon.

"Right. I'm heading back to the van. See ya then." She spun around and headed inside, bumping into a man much taller than him. "Oh! Excuse me. I—" she looked up into the face of another raccoon. "I...I…I…I…"

The raccoon smiled. "I'm surprised to see another raccoon here, especially in the rich part of Paris~" He stroked her cheek gently, making Sly blush. "What is your name, 'mon cher'?"

"Actually… I'm on my way out…!" Sly turned right away from him and walked out of the ballroom quickly.

Impossible, she hadn't seen another raccoon, like herself, since she and the team left Haiti seven years before. Was it a coincidence encountering another one here? Now?

"Bentley…" she whispered into the earpiece. "Did you catch that?"

"I sure did… Sounds like we might have a few issues…" Bentley answered, reading through Sir Raleigh's police file:

Sir Raleigh was born into a life of nobility and privilege, but grew bored with it. On a whim, he tried his hand at piracy, and discovered that he enjoyed it. Becoming addicted to crime, his tinkering genius earned him a seat in the Fiendish Five as Chief Machinist.

So, they were finally going to go up against the Fiendish Five after seven years of preparation… and ten years of grief for poor Sly Cooper…


	3. Chapter 2

A Cooper's Tale Chapter 2:

The Thievius Raccoonus

That night at the hideout, Sly got a lot of time to fully take in the trials they were about to face. The notion sent chills up her spine. Finally, she could finally avenge her family and retake possession of their most valued treasure…

Sly came from a long line of master thieves called the Cooper Clan that traces all as far back as the Egyptian Pharaohs. Every Cooper generation left behind their skills and techniques written in an ancient book. The Thievius Raccoonus. In a family of raccoons, this lifestyle was quite fitting.

However, these thieves are special. They do not steal from just anyone, they steal from criminals. After all, there's no thrill or fun stealing from ordinary people. The Cooper Clan always thinks of it as a challenge. If you can outsmart a master criminal, you know you're a master thief.

Once a Cooper has grown older and is ready to settle down into a relaxing life of luxury, he makes way for the next Cooper, the eldest of his children. When the next Cooper grows mature enough, he inherits the Thievius Raccoonus and begins a new life of tribulation and thievery. The new thief is also given a precious cane which has been passed down from generation to generation, which is used as the thief's main weapon.

This title of master thief was actually meant for Sly's older brother, Kyle Cooper.

The Cooper family resided near a raccoon village in Haiti, where Sly and her brother were born and raised by their parents. At this time, her father had retired from the 'family business' and began to teach Kyle all he knew.

Sly spent her days watching her brother train for hours outside then mimicking the techniques he learned at night. Their father was proud to have two bright and well built children under his roof, but only one of them could become the next master thief, and it was going to be Kyle. Although Sly was jealous, she understood and obeyed the family rules. She was a girl.

Although there were a few female thieves in the clan, the majority was mainly male because of their reputation. Therefore, they banned female raccoons in the family from becoming Cooper thieves.

Kyle Cooper was to take possession of the Thievius Raccoonus on his thirteenth birthday, while Sly was only ten.

But on that very night, five unexpected guests stepped through the front door. They called themselves the Fiendish Five. They were the ugliest set of creatures Sly had ever laid eyes on.

Her mother became very serious and ordered Sly to her room immediately after seeing the five. Sly sat up in her room in silence until she heard loud noises coming from downstairs. Chilling screams followed, which sent Sly into a panic as she ran down the stairs. She came into the living room.

Blood was everywhere.

Tears welled up in her frightened eyes when she saw her parents and her brother on the floor, dead.

She tried to scream, but was silenced by a hand as a member of the Fiendish Five snatched her up. The member held a knife to her throat.

"What should we do about this little pest?" The southern woman growled. "Kill her as well?" Sly whimpered as the tears rolled down her face.

"Leave her." The biggest one answered. "She will be the… result of our work. Get the book."

The three empty- handed members began tearing the house apart until they found the Thievius Raccoonus. All the while, Sly was still in the woman's arms with the knife held to her neck. They then tore out the pages in the sacred book and divided them among themselves.

They dropped Sly to the floor and gave her very limited time to run from the house. She grabbed the Cooper Cane from its hiding place before the Fiendish Five could get their hands on that too. Then they burned the house down, forcing the poor girl to flee and leave everything she had ever known behind in the flames.

Broke, alone, and scarred, Sly was sent to a small orphanage in a country far away from her village; America. There, she met her two adopted brothers, Bentley Wiseturtle and Murray Hippo.

Bentley was there first as he was delivered anonymously to the Happy Camper Orphanage as an egg, so he had no idea of the whereabouts of his parents or who they were. As he was more brains than brawn, he would usually hide from bullies and read lots of books in his free time. That was how Sly found him and they quickly became good friends.

He was mostly a quiet, timid shut-in person. Sometimes even a bit stressed and uptight, although he did this only because he wanted to protect his friends in any way he could.

There wasn't much that either Sly or Bentley knew about Murray, but that didn't stop them from growing attached to the child giant as another friend to complete their gang.

The last of the three to arrive to the Orphanage, Murray stumbled upon Bentley and Sly one day while the two were planning to escape from the place. A driver was just what they needed, so Murray was in on their plan.

Opposite of Bentley, Murray was more brains than brawn and his driving skill came from his job as a pizza delivery boy, during which he hotwired cars and was eventually fired for dropping too many pizzas. In other words, he may have been strong, but he was also very clumsy; the perfect addition to the team.

Now, seven years after their escape, they knew they were finally ready for this ultimate test of their abilities and teamwork.

To Sly, it was do-or-die. Either she succeeded and restored the Cooper Clan or failed and allowed her family name to bite the dust…

"Sly?" Murray asked, coming into the living room of the hideout. "You've been quiet for some time now."

Sly's thoughts were broken as she looked up at him. "I've been thinking…" she smiled. "Just deep in thought. What's up?"

"Bentley says we're nearly ready to go, but he needs to talk to you first."

Sly stood up and gripped the gold cane in her hand, trying not to get lost in her thoughts again as she followed Murray into Bentley's strategy room.

In the room, maps were hanging on every wall and there was a large table in the middle with more maps. Bentley stood hunched over the map on the table, drawing out routes to take.

"Have a bit more to do, Bentley?" Sly asked.

"According to my calculations—"

"Of course…"

"According to me calculations, Raleigh must be hiding out on an island called O'Wrath in the middle of the Welsh Triangle."

"Why am I not surprised he would choose an island with THAT name?"

"Anyway, I think our best chance to get there would be to go to Liverpool and possible rent a boat there to travel the rest of the way."

"Sounds like a plan." Murray agreed.

"Do you know how to drive a boat also?" asked Sly.

"It's almost the same as a car, isn't it? How hard can it be?"

"'How hard can it be?' He said…" Sly muttered hanging onto the boat for dear life as the waves knocked it back and forth.

"Don't worry! I almost got her steady!" Murray shouted over the thunder. Bentley felt sick to his stomach.

"What can you see from here, Sly?!"

Sly used her cane to steady herself as she climbed to the highest part of the small boat and looked around. "I see land, about a few miles from here to the east!"

"At last…!" Bentley groaned.

The boat turned with difficulty into that direction and kicked the motor into full speed, beating the wind down and crashed into the sand about two minutes later.

They had made it to the Island O'Wrath where Sir Raleigh the Frog was waiting…


	4. Chapter 3

A Cooper's Tale Chapter 3:

Tide of Terror

Part One

The gang set up their tent near the Island's bluff on the east coast. Murray and Bentley worked on moving all of the equipment Bentley brought into the tent while Sly scouted around, anxious to get a move on.

She sprinted up to the edge of the bluff and parked herself on the very tip. She used her electronic binoculars to scan the horizon.

"Nothing but rain…" she muttered to herself, "Huh… that's weird…" she looked up, "There are no clouds…" Perplexed, she went back to the tent, finding that the boys were finished. "Bentley! Have you had a chance to look up at the skies lately?"

"Not since we got here. And what for? Has the rain stopped?"

"That's my point! It's raining… but there aren't any clouds in the sky."

"She's right." Said Murray by the entrance of the tent, "How's that possible…?"

"Something else must be making the rain." Answered Bentley, tapping away at his computer, "Maybe its Raleigh's doing somehow…"

"It doesn't matter, imon frère/i" Sly returned, grabbing her cane and cap. "Rain or shine, I'm going to restore the Thievius Raccoonus and if Raleigh's going to get in my way… it's on."

"You're going now?" asked Murray.

"I can't wait anymore, guys. I just have to get to Raleigh and give him a piece of my mind! Wish me luck."

"Good luck then." Said Bentley, "During this heist, I'll be able to see what's going on through the microscopic video feed I attached to your cap."

"You did WHAT to my cap?!" Sly examined her blue cap, where she noticed a very small lens in the front. "Oh. No big deal." She shrugged and put it back on her head.

"Remember, Sly." Murray started, "If you ever need some extra muscle, just call me in, kay?"

"Thanks Murray." Sly smiled. "I sure will. Over and out!" With that, Sly disappeared in the storm.

She bounded past the foliage and trees, her cane in hand. The nagging warnings and directions from Bentley led her to a bluff that overlooked a large boat barely against the shore of the cliff. Sly noticed a large chain that linked to a blimp in the sky above the ship.

"See that?" asked Bentley. "That is a Storm Machine!"

"A what?"

" Do you see the water shooting up from the top of the blimp? It's the reason why it never stops raining around here."

"Well that would explain all the wrecked ships."

"But why would Raleigh want it raining at his own hideout 24/7?"

"He IS a frog…"

"Well, if you put it that way…"

A few keystrokes later, Bentley hacked into most of the security cameras all over the ship. Becoming rigid, he watched from one camera as he caught a glimpse of Sly's cap off the edge of the ship. "Careful getting onto that ship, Sly! They've got spotlights and hidden cameras all over this thing!"

"Yeah, I've noticed. Some of the guards don't look like they see very well through this storm anyway… It'll be easy to sneak around them."

"Just don't forget… Stay low, never get too close, make sure your cane doesn't bump into anything and—"

"—take your enemies out quickly. Yeah yeah yeah. Relax, Bentley. I LIVE for this stuff."

"Yeah, and that's what worries me…"

"Over and out." Sly disconnected in order to have radio silence.

Murray chuckled from outside the tent. "What are you so worried about, Bentley? You've got their security system scoped."

Bentley leaned back in his chair, massaging his temples as he replied, "She just tends to get cocky on missions like this. And this Raleigh person doesn't sound like one to mess with… You'd think that Sly would take a member of the Fiendish Five more seriously…"

"At least this isn't as bad as when we stole the Fire Stone of India in Bombay."

"Ah yes… that was hard, wasn't it?"

Murray smiled a little as he stared at the clouds. Starting a conversation with Bentley always helps the neurotic turtle to wind down during one of Sly's larger assignments.

Sly leapt over the rail of the ship and silently landed on the stone deck. She took a deep breath and crept low to the ground, keeping a steady eye out in all directions as she explored the upper parts of the ship.

"That blimp looks like the most secure location on this boat. If Raleigh's really as smart as his police file says he is, then that's where I'll find him."

"Wonderful idea," said Bentley, with lack of enthusiasm. "but your plan is seriously flawed."

"What? Why?"

"Because it's practically impossible to get near him. There's a high-voltage power tube just east from your position that leads to a higher part of the ship, which is the closest section of the ship to the blimp. But in order to pass through the tube without electrocuting yourself to oblivion, you'll have to destroy the generator just a couple yards away from it. There's no way you can get rid of the generator without causing a scene!"

Sly mulled these facts over for a moment with a smile. "I see. So, when are you going to tell me about the impossible part?"

"Fine!" Bentley snapped in an irritated tone. "Don't say I didn't warn you! There could be one other way to get through the tube. I'll see if I can shut the generator down from the inside…"

"Thanks."

"Don't mention it. It's YOUR funeral."

Feedback from various speakers on the walls startled her. She yelped quietly and slithered into a dark corner to avoid trouble. All of the guards stopped their patrol and stood straight as a pompous low voice croaked into the intercom.

"iI say, chaps, my heartiest congratulations to you all. The storm machine has sunk its fiftieth ship last night and the loot has already been unloaded! Our operations are moving along splendidly! …With the possible exception being… bthe sickening negligent displayed below decks and…!/b/i" Raleigh paused to take a breath. "i…I'll make the workers remain at full pressure at all times! If you lazy, lowbrow, technically incompetent bunch of gutter-sights did your jobs right, bwe would have multiple storm machines by now!/bBut I suppose one machine will suffice… for now. Carry on, my boys. Carry on./i"

"I'm guessing that was Raleigh…"Sly muttered as she adjusted her cap. She emerged from the shadows and looked around. Luckily, all of the guards and workers were too shaken by the announcement to take careful notice of her. She went to the power tube and examined it.

"That DOES look high-voltage…" She mused to herself.

"SLY! BEHIND YOU!" Bentley cried.

Sly whirled around and didn't have time to grab her cane before a large thug gripped her by the shoulders.


	5. Chapter 4

A Cooper's Tale Chapter 4:

Tide of Terror

Part Two

Sly gasped and ducked just as the large brute swung a fist at her. Thunder snapped through the patter of rain. Sly crouched and grabbed her cane, tripping him up with one hit to the knees.

The thug roared and jumped to his feet and punched Sly down, but Sly recovered her balance and jumped up, bringing the cane down around his head and jerked it back. She was behind him now, keeping his back arched with her gold cane.

He grabbed her head blindly. Panic rose up inside of her as he pulled her over his shoulders and sent her into the ground in front of him.

They were getting dangerously close to the power tube now.

The thug went to stomp on her, but she rolled out of the way in time and got to her feet. Other workers were beginning to hear their brawl. Sly knew she had to end this.

He went to punch her back, but another large hand stopped him.

"Murray?!"

Murray yanked the thug back and threw him in at the ground with a roar. Sly exhaled and got to her feet. The brute got free of Murray and charged at Sly. Instinctively, she jumped over him and kicked him in the back. He stumbled and fell into the power tube.

Sly and Murray quickly cringed and looked away from the electrocution. "Oh man…! Did I kill him?!"

"No…" said Murray, when he got a better look at the man. "He's unconscious, but I'll bet he's going to hurt for a along time…"

"A VERY long time… By the way, how did you get here on such short notice?"

"Well, I soon left just before you got onto the boat. While all of those guards were distracted by Raleigh's announcement, I took the opportunity to get on deck and take them out!"

I looked behind him to see every single guard and worker on the ground unconscious. I chuckled. "Thanks for the help!"

"No problem. Hey, the power tube looks like it's shut down!"

Sly turned back to the tube. "Uh huh. Looks like when that guard fell through it, he probably triggered an emergency switch-off. I'm going though now." She crouched down and crawled into the narrow tube without hesitation.

"Be careful, Sly! I'll stay here and cover you!"

Once she made it out to the other side, the first thing she noticed was the chain that linked the boat and the storm machine together. Bentley finally spoke up, sounding very relieved.

"Astonishing! All my calculations led me to believe that you would fail to get through that power tube!"

"I never WAS good at math…"

"Well, here's a real test for you… I've discovered a way to get to Raleigh's hideout… but it is doomed to failure."

"What is it? All I can see around here are a few unkempt boards and the chain." Her eyes followed the steep chain all the way to the bottom of the blimp, where there was a small hatch. "I have to climb this?"

"I'm afraid that's the only way."

"NOW you're talking." Sly replied with a grin. Bentley's voice was coated in concern.

"You're really scaring me here… Anyway, you'll have to get up there and get into that hatch. But you'll have to be super careful, because if you fall, there's no safety net and it's a blong/b way down."

"It's worth it if it means getting those pages he took, Bentley. I'm going for it."

Holding the cane in her mouth, Sly jumped up and curled her arms and legs around the thick chain, gripping it tightly. She waited until it stopped swaying and then she began her climb.

She was used to climbing on similar objects before, like pipes and ropes. Climbing was very important if you wanted to be a decent thief. With these metal rusty chains pressing deep into her flesh, she knew they were going to leave blisters.

As she pulled herself closer to the blimp, it started to resemble a floating, creaking whale with large gushes of water shooting up from its pipe on the top. The front of the blimp had windows for the boss himself could look out towards the raging sea he had created. The tail at the end was for balancing the blimp out so it never tipped more to one side of the other while in the strong winds.

Once Sly made it to the very bottom, she pulled the hatch open very slowly. Then, she took her cane and used it to grab the ledge.

"So far so good, Sly. I've got some bad news for you though. The blimp's interior can pick up even the slightest of radio and video frequencies, which means I'll have to sever our communications in order to keep you from being detected. You're on your own from here…"

"I'm okay with that, Bentley. I can take it from here. Over and out, imon frère/i."

The inside of the blimp was hollow, dark, and humid. The strong odor of salt and gas oil stung her nose as she crept along the edge. She glanced down at the murky water for a moment before she found a flight of stairs.

Suddenly, somebody came up from behind her and instantly covered her mouth and quickly had her in a headlock. Instinctively, she cried out, but her voice did not reach out the hallway. The man pulled her into a dark corner.

He sat her down and released her, pinning her gently against the wall. Sly glared at the man, whose face she couldn't see quite clearly.

"Let me go…! Don't you know who I am…?!" she whispered indignantly, using her convincing male tone as best as she can.

"Yes I do…" The familiar voice answered quietly. "…Sly Cooper."

When Sly squinted to view the person better, she instantly identified him as the raccoon he met at the beneficial banquet in Paris! "Hey! You're-!"

The raccoon shushed her quickly. "Yes yes… the isoiree en Paris, non/i?"

"You knew that was me? Then…" She allowed her voice to rise to normal pitch. "Then you know that I am…"

"iUne femme? Qui/i. I have been watching you ever since I met you at the banquet, my dear."

Sly's eyes narrowed on him. "So you've been stalking me."

"No no no. That's not what I meant."

"Sounds like stalking to me."

"Come now. I would not harm a fellow Haitian."

"Charming. I would be more curious if only I weren't on a mission at the moment."

"Then let me help you. I have explored this entire embassy and I know my way around these passages. I know a secret way into the frog's main room."

They were interrupted by another message from Raleigh over the speakers:

"iAhoy, dark hands! Do me the service of proving your worth yet again by protecting this storm machine. It appears there is a prowler loose on the premises/i." His voice grew dark. "iIf any of you let him get through and into my regal presence… bI'll personally flog the lot of you, for an ENTIRE FORTNIGHT!/i"

The speakers clicked off.

Sly and the raccoon both cringed a bit.

"He sounded desperate at that last part. iIl fait peur/i…"

"Because he knows who's finally come knocking…" Sly muttered as she stood. "Can you take me to where he is hiding?"

"iBien sur/i, but why are you going after him in the first place?"

"Personal affairs. I can't tell you."

"Fair enough. Follow me."


	6. Chapter 5

A Cooper's Tale Chapter 5:

Tide of Terror

Raleigh

"By the way," said Sly as they crept through the ventilation shafts, "What's your name, 'fellow Hatian'?"

He smiled and cocked his head back towards her. "My name is Jizargo. Technically, I am a native of Haiti, but I've spent the most of my life in France. I'm sure you can tell by my accent."

"My grandfather on my mother's side had that name, Jizargo…"

Jizargo stopped about a vent cover and looked in it for a moment, then glanced back at Sly with a nod. "This is it. He is there and I think he is alone. If you need it, I would be happy to assist you, imon cher/i."

Sly waved a hand dismissively at him. "No thanks. I never accept help from stalking sycophants like you…. But there is ONE thing you can do for me. You can go down to the boiler room and cut the engines to this thing while I'm handling Raleigh."

Jizargo's eye widened. "But that would send this craft into the ground…!" He grinned. "I will do it. Good luck." He scurried away into the shafts like a mouse on the run.

Sly took a deep breath, gripped her family cane, and kicked the cover in, jumping down in the wide oval room. She landed in the middle of the extent, executing a graceful entrance.

Sir Raleigh the Frog was squatted in his tall oversized throne brimmed with gold frames and scarlet nylon fabric. It was a true seat of ornate monarchy. The prince himself damaged the regal image with a rudimentary top hat which was made out of a myriad of things, even metal in some parts.

"How delightful~!" he cooed, rubbing his webbed hands together. "We have a guest~ ~the only thing is… bI HATE unexpected guests!/b"

Sly's ears pinned back against her cap as she pointed her cane up at Raleigh. "Listen, Raleigh. Wipe out my family and steal what's rightfully mine; you'd better be expecting company." She felt spitefulness rise up in her with every word that came out of the frog's mouth.

"Ooohhh~ I'm terribly sorry~ How sloppy of me not to finish the job. Obviously, we should have snuffed you out as well. So, without further ado, let me make amends by finishing you off now! Dark Hands! Beat her! Destroy her! bCrush her bones until there is nothing left but DUST!/b"

Sly glanced around as four guards came with metal weapons in their hands. They swung at her with whatever object they had came with, but the flexible and small raccoon dodged them easily. She kicked one in the head and knocked him out as she struck the neck of another.

Two were down before the others even knew what happened.

They backed up and readied themselves.

Sly began using her cane after that.

"For large brutes with crowbars against ONE small girl with a cane?!" Raleigh bellowed over the brawl. "Come on! Be men already and take her down!"

By the time he finished, the last two were out as well.

"bNo!/b"

Sly stood on top of one of the beasts backs and stared up at him, arms folded across her chest. "Blind force is no match against a lifetime of strategic training and discipline, Raleigh. Hand over the pages you took from the Thievious Raccoonus!"

Raleigh was rigid in his seat, finding himself suddenly defenseless. "Y-You're a fool! Nothing but a petty thief! That is what makes you no different than the likes of me."

Sly's features turned dark as she pitched her cane at him, knocking him off the throne with great vigor. He landed on his side with a loud croak.

"You're wrong! I'm a Cooper! We don't plunder and destroy! We steal from those WHO plunder and destroy!" She walked over calmly and picked the cane up. "You should have predicted this day ever since you and the Fiendish Five killed my family."

The frog grunted. "Blast it all! …The pages are under the seat of the throne…"

Sly's expression lightened again and she approached the throne, lifting the cover and finding a stack of worn paper with writing on them.

They were from the Thievious Raccoonus, for sure.

Sly rolled them up very carefully and placed them in her red backpack. She hurried back to where Raleigh remained lying. He glared up at her.

"Well, gloat all you want, Sly Cooper… You're no match for Muggshot, my villainous cohort in Utah. You'll see, Mesa City is so well guarded that a snake couldn't slither in without setting off alarms. He will squash you like the insignificant bug that you are!"

"iSly!/i" Bentley cried from the van. "iThe Storm Machine's engine is failing! We can see it from out here! You'd better get outta there and FAST/i!"

"I'm on my way. I just finished up here." Sly began to leave, but she paused and looked back at Raleigh, who was near to fainting. The blimp lurched and began to shake.

She turned back and scooped Raleigh up. Breaking through the large glass window on the opposite side of the room, she leapt out and they began to hurdle into freefall.

Sly tugged a string coming from her backpack and a parachute shot out, slowing their fall rapidly. They soared from the exploding Storm Machine and down below Sly could see two things.

Bentley and Murray were racing from the ship in the getaway van. Blue and red lights were blinking from all over the boat, indicating that Carmelita Fox and her squad had come to do their job.

"She sure likes to make her entrances…" Sly muttered. "What timing." She landed in the darkness of the ship, concealed from the authorities.

"You saved me…?" Raleigh asked, slightly aghast. "Why…?!"

Sly looked at him coolly. "Because I wanted to show that I am not like you." She set him down in the opening and left as quickly as she had came to go catch up with the van.

One down. Four to go.

On the boat back to the main lands, Sly sat and wrote the important events down in her pocketbook. The recap would be important once this journey was over…

iRaleigh's section of the Thievious Raccoonus held detailed instructions on how to perform my ancestor, Rioichi Cooper's signature ninja spire jump move, a technique he developed while sneaking into the thickly fortified castles of Northern Japan. Finding a way off of Raleigh's boat was a little tricky with the untimely arrival of Inspector Carmelita Fox; who, failing to fine me, busted Raleigh and his crew.

With the Storm Machine out of commission, boats and ships found their way back out into the ocean and the mystery of the Welsh Triangle faded from Memory.

I wonder what happened to that raccoon, Jizargo. I'm sure that he made it off that blimp. Although the man was awfully uncanny, I can't help but hope that we might meet again…

My gang and I plan to loaf around London for a while -to enjoy the pleasant spring weather, of course- and then head back to Paris to plan out our next trip to Mesa City, Utah.


End file.
